Bee Sting's identity revealed, shunned by peer, others raising cash

Last week, the identity of "real-life superhero Bee Sting" was revealed at an arraignment.

Now we know that "Bee Sting" is actually Adam Besso of Sterling Heights.

Besso was arrested after pulling a shotgun on a motorcyclist in a trailer park in Burton, Michigan.

Besso approached the man saying the man's motorcycle was too loud. A struggle ensued and Besso's shotgun discharged. Thankfully, no one was injured.

MLive spoke with Tom Carter, the man who was approached by Besso. Carter told MLive he was surprised when the masked man confronted him in the trailer park:

"I couldn't hear him, so I started to approach him and that's when the gun came out," said Carter, 38, about the incident with Bee Sting."As soon as I saw the gun I was thinking I didn't want my kids to get shot."

The use of a gun has not only offended law enforcement, it offended another real-life superhero.

"Arsenul," a RLSH (real-life superhero) from Eaton Rapids e-mailed me over the weekend to let me know Bee Sting "is no longer a member of the Michigan Protectors."

MLive reports that Arsenul cut ties with Bee Sting "via Facebook":

"The moment he brought a shotgun loaded with slugs, that moment he did something majorly illegal. He gave all RLSH a bad name and he gave the Michigan Protectors a bad name.”

It seems the real-life super hero movement in Michigan is less about actively confronting criminals, and more about helping those in need.

They say they work to increase animal abuse awareness, help the homeless, and inspire others to get involved.

And you can see Bee Sting (prior to his arrest), the Animal (who doesn't consider himself a super hero, but a "masked-activist"), and Venge (who's had it tough himself) patrolling in Lansing in this report from Lansing 6 News.

Of note, items the Animal carries in his utility belt include:

pepper spray

flashlight

wallet

some business cards

cell phone

and a headlight

Bee Sting supporters are working to raise money to help him post bond.

And his fiance, Amanda Wilson, tells MLive there's more to the story about the shotgun incident:

He's a trained combat veteran," she said of Besso, who served in Iraq. "He wouldn't just willy-nilly pull out a (shotgun) unless he thought, 'This guy is going to kill me.'"

Wilson said she was surprised when she found out about her soon-to-be husband's alter-ego:

"I was shocked when he told me," Wilson said about the day Besso told her he wanted to be a superhero. "It took a while to get used to it. I thought he'd get over it, but it's been a year and he's not over it."

This trend is not just limited to Michigan. It's happening around the country.

In Seattle, police have been dealing with a group known as the "Rain City Superheroes."

Earlier this week we told you that Petoskey Batman (a.k.a. Mark Williams) was planning to auction off his... ahem, laundered caped crusader suit to help pay for his legal fees.

Last May, Williams was arrested after police spotted him hanging off the wall of a building in Petoskey. He was charged with trespassing and possession of dangerous weapons (a striking baton, a can of chemical irritant spray, and a pair of lead lined gloves).

Now he's got a little extra cash for his effort. After 8 bids, the suit sold for $152.50. Congrats to the winner!

The suit does not come with the sand-filled Sap gloves, but DOES come with a signed statement of authenticity, and a signed photograph of Williams standing next to the suit.

A Michigan man nicknamed the "Petoskey Batman" after he was arrested while wearing a Batman costume on a rooftop was sentenced to six months of probation.

Mark Wayne Williams, 32, of Harbor Springs, was arrested May 11 after being spotted on a Petoskey rooftop while wearing a Batman costume and carrying weapons including a baton-like striking weapon, a can of chemical irritant spray and a pair of sand-filled Sap gloves.

This raises two questions. What in the world are "sand-filled Sap gloves"? And what was the plan for them?

Last October, a judge sentenced Williams to six months of probation. He was banned from donning his bat-suit for the duration of his probation.

Now we hear news that "Petoskey Batman" plans to hang up the suit permanently.

Well folks here's the deal my bud got himself in trouble last year hanging off a building(i'm sure you've all seen it on the news, we got a good chuckle here.) Seems "The Petoskey Batman" Needs some cash for his legal fees. So what were doing is Auctioning off the suit that was made famous round the world on the nightly news and most of the late night comics(gloves not included lol.) Will come with a signed statement and picture of him next to it, hell he'll even sign the picture for you.

p.s. It has been laundered lolhappy bidding folksShipping listed is for U.S. only Canada and International will be higher

So far, there have been zero bids. But there are more than 2 days left. No word on yet on plans for, or the existence of, the Petoskey Batmobile.

*Correction - a previous version used the phrase "begs the question" incorrectly. It's been corrected in the copy above.